God Said:

Gloria to God:

I look at the picture of Christ, and his eyes meet my own. I started to think: What a man! Then: What a prince! Then: What a soul! And I do believe it is his soul that speaks in his eyes.

God:

And so let yours. Let not your eyes hide your soul. Let your eyes speak your soul. A soul is not to be hidden but revealed, not put in the maid's quarters, but shown to the front room and seated with honor.

The soul is there; bespeak it. Let your eyes' rays fall on all with the grace of God. Let all be touched by the rays of your eyes, issued by your Father in Heaven. Learn and loosen the rays of love that fall from your eyes like rain from Heaven on a dry day.

Let your eyes not only reflect light but originate it. Let Light be your name. Let your eyes take a moment to rest light on all they see.

Let your light be a misty fog that rolls in and seeps into and is immersed in all the rocks and their crevices and a bsorbed by the heart.

Let your light be a wave of spray from the ocean.

Let your light be a cooling ray from the Moon.

Let the light of your eyes cast beauty on all it passes over.

Let your light pat the heads and shoulders of all in the world.

Let your eyes see far and near.

Let your eyes muster souls.

Let your eyes look for Me.

Let your eyes shine Me, for what am I but Love, the Heart of the World, the Source of All Good, and your very Being.

Bless the world with your eyes is what I am saying. Let your looking be alms to the poor. Let your looking be the early rays of the sun as a sleeping world awakens. Let your sight be the mother's comforting kiss as the sun sets and all the children go to sleep.

Let your eyes look on the children as they sleep, as I look upon My children in vast love.

Let your eyes call to all they see and whisper, "God is here. God's glory is here. This is God's Kingdom, and all is well."

Gloria:

I know that You have told me that you do not test people, but so many fine good people think you do. Or perhaps my picture of testing is harsh. I see it as making something hard for someone and seeing how they come through.

I suppose testing could also be like testing metal, to see if it's ready, at the right temperature. But to test people for the fun of it? Life is hard enough as it is.

God:

Dear Gloria, again I do not test people in that perceived way. I would not. I do everything to help My children and make their lives better and easier. Life may test people, but I don't.

Remember too that what a mortal sees as hardship may in truth be a blessing, and vice versa. I know you understand this.

I do not experiment with My children to test their righteousness or devotion. I don't need to. Why would I? It is a foregone conclusion that all will return their hearts to Me.

Gloria:

Why is the story of Job in the Bible?

God:

It was an allegorical attempt to explain human suffering. I do not negotiate with Satan (the sum total of negative thoughts) and make pacts.

Gloria:

I always wondered how Job could be overjoyed after he had lost his family when God later rewarded him with more children, as if that made it okay.

I know life goes on, and it's good to be grateful, but do more children make up for the ones lost as part of a bet?!

God:

You know I do not make suffering. I do not visit plagues on people. I bestow blessings. I am truly good. That is all I know and all I want. Why in Heaven would a God create plots to trick His children?

Gloria:

Why do people believe that then?

God:

I don't know. Perhaps to make an adversary of God, wishing to appease Him, and thus be able to get on His good side. And all the time, t here is only My good side.

Gloria:

I think that some people will not like this section.

God:

They won't. Let them be shaken up and grow from it.

Gloria:

Is it a test for them, dear God!

God:

No! They test themselves. These are My words and My truth. One can make of them what he will.

I do not set traps for My children.

Later…

Gloria:

Dear Father, today I feel like a writer. Nice feedback from my nephew Sam about Your writing. I wrote a fine letter to the literary agent. I am inspired to send out to more literary agents.

I am sad to say I am behind in typing again.

God:

How ephemeral is relative life. Yesterday you were weeping, and today you feel pretty good, and tomorrow you will feel better yet.

All may come and go but I am forever. And you are too. Forever We are One, embrac ed in love, sending out shoots of love, fertilizing the soil with love, watering flowers with love, trimming hedges with love, sowing love like barley, walking love wherever We go and wherever We do not go, heaping love, making big hills of love, planting love, building houses of love, uncovering love, digging up love, turning on streetlights of love, catching love, strewing love, holding it up for all to see.

Love is Our Name. Hallowed be Love.

p>Gloria:

Dear God, I would like to go back to my friend's comment about winners and losers. Two things —

First, if someone as precious as my friend divides people that way, what do other people do?

Second, by my very belief in not making judgments like winner/loser, how do I know that on some level it wasn't "right" for my friend to make that statement? Maybe I was supposed to hear it, that in fact, it was ordained for my friend to say that in order to shake me up!

God:

Right or wrong, Gloria, it is to pass by, as a simple leaf falling or a fork you dropped, or an eyelash. No more than that. That's how much anything is.

Gloria:

What else happened is that Bran did not show up. He was supposed to come between 7 and 7:15. At quarter to eight, I tracked him down on the phone. He said I was next on his list to call and he couldn't make it for dinner. He had meant to call me all day to tell me, but his day had gotten away from him. And he had already eaten! He said he had to eat because all he had had all day was an energy bar.

You know the lengths I went to to prepare that meal. He doesn't eat dairy, sugar, salt, or any meat or eggs. I had made homemade spaghetti sauce, imported Italian spaghetti, winter squash, green beans, okara patties, an avocado and grapefruit salad, bought an expensive olive and rosemary bread, and I had ordered a raw lime pie from Ginnie. I had made hors d'oevres. I had set the table with gr eat care, bought a hyacinth for a centerpiece. The time and money I spent. And I put typing for You aside, please forgive me. Is this an example of my not being true to myself?

Frankly, nothing Bran said on the phone made any sense. No apology, but excuses, very lame ones.

Something changed from when he wanted to take a walk with me, come to my house just to feel my "vibrations", his feeling too shy to even ask me, and now this.

In actuality, I sensed something at his office. When he mentioned coming to my house, he said, "I still want to see you." It's the "still" I wondered about. This man who puts words together so gently, so perfectly, with such loving tone, didn't. It wasn't: "I'd love to have a meal at your house."

Over the phone, I simply said he was under a lot of pressure, and let it go.

So, Lauren came over, and in 20 minutes we ate all the courses, and I ate wheat that Bran had told me not to!

You and Lauren are my friends, God. Also Ka ren and Florence and Barbara, but You and Lauren put up with me the most.

Now, going back to judgment, how do I know that Bran's standing me up wasn't the perfect thing?

I'll certainly be careful about idolizing anyone ever again.

With this, and my friend's comment, I certainly have a better picture of who I am, and I think it's pretty good, God, if I do say so myself.

God:

Yes.

Gloria:

Now that I have vented all over the place, what would You like to tell me?

God:

Read A Course in Miracles.

Later…

Gloria:

Dear God, I keep thinking about the title of Your Book, and I had an impression of the words, Love Letters from God, as though they were a pictograph of the meaning, or a Japanese poem. The words Love Letters fluttered down from Heaven like leaves or raindrops or the ink of the words melting.

Also in my mind I am composing the cover letter to publishers. I thought of the literary agent's comment about HEAVEN being free-flowing, and I thought that even The Ten Commandments are listed 1 to 10, and that doesn't seem to do it for people. Something has to happen to their consciousness. When it's moved, they will live the Ten Commandments.

Beyond advice has to be an understanding, an insight, a frame for the advice to fit in. In all the book is Your love streaming through. It is felt. It runs through the bloodstream. I have also felt that the lyricism of the words themselves settle the nervous system or enliven it.

God:

Yes. You are correct. So in your letter and selections from HEAVEN that you send, you will educate the editor. Again, do this whole process as though he were an employer and the applicant lays out his virtues in the employer's language.

Later…

Gloria to God:

Dear Heavenly Father, I live in a world of ignorance. Have I just found this out? I've known the world was upside-down for a long time, but when people like my friend and Bran are part of the craziness, I am astonished. But no longer will I be.

God:

You are losing your idyllic conception of those certain few idols of yours. You have always been comfortable looking up to people. You like that position. The youngest of five is used to it.

Look up to Me, and not other people. Look across at other people. Know your stature. Know your view of the world. Look up to yourself, for you have modeled yourself after Me. You attribute yourself after Me. You are a tribute to Me. I tell you this so you have more confidence in yourself from all points of view. Spiritual, yes. And your way in the world.

Your heart has been aching over Bran's standing you up.

Gloria:

Yes, it feels like such a slap. I can never go to Bran again for a healing session. Maybe that's what he wan ted, that I wouldn't. Maybe because I didn't have the money to make full payment. Dangling me like that was some sort of control. We will never have a good talk, as I had imagined. Well, God, it's the end of illusion.

God:

Yes. That one.

Gloria:

Maybe I am growing up. Thank You for all Your help. And maybe I should thank Bran for waking me up and for my friend for showing me my values. I think of Corrie Ten Boom and her sisters who expressed their gratitude for whatever came their way in the concentration camp, even for the fleas.

I am grateful for You, dear God, for Lauren, Sunshine and Ginger, for Karen, for my beautiful home, for my health, for the dear friends I do have, for my mind, for my books, my life, for Christ, and again for You. I'm even going to be grateful for my overweight and my appetite! For gray hair! For wrinkles!

Now I will go meditate in great gratitude for that divine gift from our teachers.< /p>

Well, dear Father, am I excused?

God:

I was just going to say it's time for you to meditate. See you in that silent place in Our hearts.